Spice and Wolf: Stories Before the Frost
by AeroTagachirane
Summary: This fanfiction takes place between the events of Volume 9 and Volume 10. Lawrence and Holo have deemed it worth the time to try and come together as more of a family. But with Cole alongside them, will their normal antics be too much for them to handle? Only time will tell.
1. Volume 1: Chapter 1

"Come on, Holo. We don't have all day." Lawrence sighed, standing at the door of the inn they had spent the night in. Holo merely groaned in response.

"I guess I'll just eat this apple myself then." If anything was going to get her up and moving, this was it. Sure enough, Holo was up and there at the mention of apples. Her face quickly contorted into a scowl, however.

"You beast, luring me in with my desires."

"Aye, but you are no less a beast yourself, Wise Wolf." Lawrence responded with a smirk, only making the woman in front of him angrier.

"Foolish mule! I do not wish to be taunted so!" Holo growled back, showing her fangs. Cole poked his head out from behind Holo, holding her tail.

"Miss Holo, is something wrong?"

"No, little one..."

"Yeah." Lawrence agreed, scratching the side of his head. He and Holo had decided that, while sticking to their travels, they should be more like a family, and as such tried not to argue in front of Cole. Besides, like this, Holo would pass as Lawrence's wife much easier, which is a good thing, right? Well, it probably is. Regardless, Lawrence scratched the side of his head and went outside to hook up his cart to his horse. He was glad that it hadn't been killed or stolen in Lenos... Unlike his coat. That_had_ been stolen. So he was shivering as he prepared the cart.

"Alright you two, we're ready to go."

Holo ran out, jumping up into the front of the cart. Cole soon followed, sitting on her lap. Lawrence climbed up into the cart and flicked the reins to get the horse moving. Before much longer they were being rained on. They were on their way to Bronwell, a city bustling in cloth trade at the time. As a traveling merchant there wasn't much Lawrence could do but hope that the trade hadn't died down by the time he got there. But if it had, well, there were other places he could go. He was calculating the profit he'd make when his thoughts were interrupted by Holo leaning against him

"Holo..."

"Yes?"

"Why are you-"

"I am tired, and Cole is heavier than he may look." Holo interrupted once more. Lawrence just rolls his eyes and sets a hand between her ears. They twitch lightly in response, but calm as Holo closes her eyes. Lawrence smiles and gazes upon the road ahead.

. . .

It was a good day's travel before they reached Rhiannone, a small city on the edge of the Santare Lake. The fish trade there is great for buyers, meaning Lawrence can get very high-quality good that will last them to Bronwell for only a few Trenni silver coins, if it's fish-based.

"Lawrence, what is that smell?" Holo mumbled, just waking up. Cole had crawled into the back when Holo had fallen asleep, and would now poke his head out and look around, smelling the air.

"It smells like fish."

"That's because it is, Cole."

"Eugh, fish." Holo expressed her distaste.

"Are we in Gerube?"

"They aren't that bad, Holo. And no, Cole. We're in Rhiannone, next to Santare Lake. Fish is a big trade here." Lawrence then stopped in front of an inn.

"Holo, go ahead and take Cole around. I've got some people to talk to."

"Very well." Holo nodded and took Cole by the arm, leading him away. Lawrence sighed. Classic Holo...

Lawrence made his way to the local branch of his trading guild, the Rowen Trading Guild. There he was greeted by the head of the guild branch, Shaynon. Shaynon was an old friend of his, though Shaynon had left Gerube to build the branch in Rhiannone. They sat and chatted for a good three hours or so before Holo and Cole barged in and requested that Lawrence come out and see something.

"Can't we have a normal trip to a town for once..."

They all rushed to the lakeside, where someone was holding a large lizard scale... They were claiming that they had seen a giant serpent-like dragon in the lake, which drew a loud sound from the crowd, mostly of hand meeting forehead. A few drew closer however, thinking it true. Lawrence was one of them, as he was already traveling with a goddess, so what harm would there be in believing tales of a serpent? He stepped closer still to get a closer look at the scale when the man grabbed Lawrence and tossed him into the lake. The last thing Lawrence heard before his head went under was a collective gasp from the group, and Holo calling out his name.


	2. Volume 1: Chapter 2

When Lawrence awoke, he found his head on something soft... His sight and hearing were still slowly returning, and he thought he heard his name, though he could not tell who it was... He could feel someone shaking him...

"-wrence! Lawrence, wake up!"

"Nnh... H-Holo...?"

"Lawrence, you're okay!"

A head fell onto his chest, and Lawrence instinctively put his arms around the woman holding herself close to him. He gave a low sigh and carefully sat up, the brown-haired head drifting to his lap. He and Holo sat like that for a while before Cole showed up, carrying a bowl of water, which Lawrence promptly took from him and drank. After he was feeling a bit better, he gently pushed Holo off him, the wolf deity's ears twitching in response.

"Holo... Why... Why did you come to look for me?"

"I-I knew you couldn't be dead... Not you... Not after everything we've been through..."

"W-What do you-"

"Miss Holo, do you need water too?"

"N-No, little one... I only need Lawrence now..."

This brought some redness to the merchant's cheeks as he glanced away, rubbing the side of his head. After a few more minutes of awkward discussion, Lawrence convinced them to head back to town, where he may as well have been tackled by a giant group of people, praising his escaping the beast. Lawrence still wasn't quite sure what this "monster" of theirs was, but apparently it doesn't enjoy the taste of merchant. He later found out that Holo had actually bought the scale, to which Lawrence sighed in annoyance

"Holo, what have I told you about spending money that I-"

"That you didn't specifically allow me to use, I know... I just thought that, well, maybe it has importance. Like those bones we heard about in Gerube."

"...Speaking of wolf deitys... Have you still any interest to return to Yoitsu?"

"Of course, but... Not alone. I refuse to be alone anymore."

"What, was my getting thrown in the lake too traumatizing for you?"

Lawrence couldn't help but chuckle lightly at the thought and smile at the woman clinging to his arm. Holo promptly let go and brought her hand up to slap him, when _Cole_ latched onto _her_ arm, stopping her. There was something strange about how they'd been acting lately, but Lawrence couldn't put his finger on it... He simply shrugged and continued on towards the inn they had payed for... Earlier today? Yesterday? Lawrence couldn't tell, and no one had told him... He supposed he'd find out when they got there. In the meantime though, he sent Cole off with a few Trenni silver coins to buy fish in bulk. He had not expected Cole to be returning not only with fish, but with a second cart...

"Cole? What did you..."

"It was only a couple bronze coins per pound of fish. It was enough to rent a cart as well."

"Well, I suppose we weren't-"

Just then, the cart shuddered and snapped, the giant pile of fish hitting the ground.

"-swindled... Can nothing go right for me here? I realize Rhiannone isn't the best place around, but surely it can do better..."

Lawrence's gaze went to the ground with a sigh, and it stayed there until Holo grabbed him by the arm and dragged him inside to the inn and up to their room.

"You need sleep. Badly. You're shivering, even."

Lawrence hadn't noticed it before, but indeed he was shivering. Perhaps it was the brisk lake breeze, or maybe because he was still rather wet. Likely both, if he's to be honest. Regardless he stripped himself of his soggy clothes long enough to dry them, before putting his trousers back on and climbing back into the bed to sleep.


	3. Volume 1: Chapter 3

Ah, the glories of morning. Birds chirping, the rustling of the marketplace opening, and a wolf deity with a hangover. Well, perhaps that last one isn't so glorious, but it seems to be a morning occasion nonetheless. He took this time to think on what Holo had said the day before, while absently stroking the woman's tail. She didn't want to return to Yoitsu alone... She refuses to be alone anymore... He wasn't sure what this meant, but he had a decent idea.

"Mh..."

"Good morning, Holo."

"...Water"

Fortunately Cole already had some for her, and Holo gratefully drank it.

"Thank you, little one..."

"Of course, miss Ho-... I mean, of course, Mother."

"...Mother? Holo, what did you two do while I was in the lake..."

"You said we should act more as a family, so I had Cole start calling me 'Mother'. Is that such a problem?"

"It is when your figure is taken into consideration compared to Cole's... I realize you are far older than you look, but you look barely old enough to have a child, and Cole is a bit more than only a couple of years old."

"I... Uh..."

"Holo, this is the kind of thing you need to think through."

Lawrence sighed and took Holo by the hand, leading her outside. He took her to the market and got her some apples before taking her to the lakeside, and sat with her in his lap, arms around her midriff. The man with the scale was there again today, but noone was paying any attention to him. Lawrence could barely withhold his laughter knowing that he himself was part of why the man was ignored. Though the scale _did_ intrigue him. After a while of staring out at the lake, Lawrence asked Holo if she would like to go for a swim. Holo refused, but judging by how her tail was wagging, she really did want to.

"Oh come now, Holo. The water can't be _that_ bad."

"But Lawrence, what of the-"

"I too am curious about this serpent the man tells tales of. Are you thinking that perhaps they're..."

"Yes, I'm thinking this serpent is from Yoitsu as well... And that man smelled fishy... Perhaps he is the serpent."

"I suppose that would make sense, wouldn't it... But we've never encountered anyone else like you. There's no saying if he really is the serpent or not. And the fish smell isn't that uncommon here in Rhiannone. It is a fish town after all."

Holo sighed and just laid back against Lawrence. Lawrence dragged a hand up the side of Holo's body to her head, gently playing with one of the deity's ears beneath the hood. This clearly agitated Holo as she grabbed his hand and bit it, though it was gentle. She couldn't have her "husband" getting hurt on her accord, now could she?

"Holo... Do you really not want to return to Yoitsu?"

"If I return, I cannot have you, and that would be quite sad, would it not?"

"So you actually-"

"It would be sad for _you_, foolish mule!"

Lawrence chuckled slightly and rubbed the side of his own head. He really should have seen that coming... Regardless though he gently pulled Holo's hood down after checking to make sure no one was looking, and bent down to gently press his lips to the base of one of her ears. This caused a squeal from the wolf deity, followed by scrambling out of his lap, and ending up falling into the lake. Lawrence rushed to the side and looked over, to see an irritated Holo staring up at him. After a few minutes of her climbing out of the lake, Lawrence lead the soaked wolf back to the inn so she could dry off and change clothing. They'd managed to spare enough money to buy a single change of clothes for each of the three of them, and Cole brought in Holo's new clothes. Holo refused to talk to Lawrence for the rest of the day, and just went down to the main room to get a drink... Or twenty, knowing her. Lawrence and Cole stared at each other for a while before joining her, though Cole was limited to no wine.

"Mmbh, I want moooore."

"No, Holo. Go to bed. You're drunk."

"No I'm nooot."

Lawrence regretted doing this, greatly, but Holo was insistant on this. The wolf deity's ears twitched and surprisingly, _Lawrence_ was the one who ended up with a bottle broken over their head. Not what he was expecting. Needless to say, he went out like a light, Holo returning to drinking.


	4. Volume 1: Chapter 4

When Lawrence awoke, he looked to see Holo out cold on the floor. He gazed down at her blankly, confused and yet feeling she deserved it. Well, it is her fault for drinking so much, right? Holo's hair was positively ruined, and her tail was bristly. He sighed and grabbed a comb, getting to work on smoothing the deity's tail. After a while, Holo lifted her head, staring at Lawrence with half-closed, sleepy eyes.

"Lawreence... I think I dwank too musshh..."

"Just go back to sleep, Holo... I'll get your hair sorted out..." He glanced to Cole, who was just coming back up from downstairs... Wait, downstairs? When did Lawrence get back to their room? He glanced down and realized he'd been carrying Holo. He sighs and sets her in their bed, laying next to her and staring at the ceiling. When did this sort of feeling start to come to him? This feeling of... Intimate closeness between he and Holo. The merchant just shook his head and sat up. There was no time for that. They had to set off as soon as possible, and yet... The serpent of the lake intrigued him. By the time he'd gathered himself together and was ready to leave, Holo had woken again. She was staring at Cole, who was staring back.

"Uhm... Mother?"

"Yes, little one?"

"Where is he going?"

"I do not know, nor do I care." With a hmph, the deity lay back down on the bed, though her perked up ears betrayed her interest in the situation. Lawrence merely sighed as he left, scratching the side of his head.

"I will never understand her."

"Understand who, Lawrence?"

"H-Holo!" He could swear he'd jumped out of his skin as he whirled around suddenly to see the deity behind him. The deity just smiles slyly.

"I certainly hope you're not seeing another woman."

"Y-You know I wouldn't do that, Holo!" Lawrence yelped back. Holo just giggled lightly and hugged one of Lawrence's arms.

"Let us go to the lake. It is clear that is where you are going, is it not?"

"Yeah... This serpent in the lake kinda bothered me. Is it real? If it is, why am I still alive? So many questions."

"Perhaps it could smell my scent on you and became afraid."

"I was in water, Holo..."

"Serpents can smell in water!" Holo retorted, glaring up at Lawrence, who winced lightly and shook his head.

"Fine, fine. You win." With that, the two walked peacefully to the lake. They sat by the bank, staring at a pool of ripples in the distance. The ripples were getting closer... Out of the lake rises a young man, wearing basically nothing. Holo and Lawrence simply stared at the man and his... Seemingly reptilian eyes.

"Greetings, Holo. I have heard tales of you from the villagers, but had not thought you would come to visit me here in Rhiannone."

"Who... Who are you?"

"I am Frederin. The Serpent of the Lake."

"Frederin..."

"Are you from Yoitsu?" Lawrence inquired, since the man was clearly a deity.

"No, I am afraid I am not. I am from a far off land and was bound to this lake by the locals. I am unable to leave... Unless..."

"Hm?"

"The church. There is an item in there that will release me from my bonds.'

"And I'm guessing you want us to retrieve this item for you." Lawrence sighed.

"That would be correct... Will you do it?"

"Lawrence. 'Twould not be wise to trust one we've barely met..."

"True... But still, he needs our help, Holo."

"Please, Holo. Help me."

Lawrence stands, looking down to Frederin.

"We will see what we can do." And with that, he took Holo by the hand and left.


End file.
